Redemption
by i-am-mudblood
Summary: The Battle of Hogwarts is over and the Malfoys' reputation with it. Graduated students are returning to Hogwarts to properly complete their final year of schooling. With the darkness gone, can Draco redeem himself and turn over a new leaf? Or will he succumb to the ignorant thoughts of his upbringing? [Slow burn Dramione]


**One: The Return**

Three months since the Battle of Hogwarts had been won and things were only just beginning to settle into normalcy. It had taken a handful of skilled witches and wizards to repair the outer structure of the school, but much of the interior remained crumbled. McGonagall had been chosen as the new Headmistress and - seeing as she took this position quite seriously - had sent out a great many letters to "graduated" students encouraging them to return for another year at the institution, her reasoning being that the previous two years of instruction had been under "a corrupt Ministry's curriculum as set by Voldemort himself". Towards Ron, Harry, and Hermione in particular, she added, "in addition, many students were not present for what would have been their final years. I should hope they will return to properly complete their magic schooling."

Draco stared at the letter in his hand. Hogwarts. Could he dare show his face there again? His last year at the school had been marred by the turmoil of becoming a Death Eater and carrying out, fearfully and reluctantly, the Dark Lord's commands. It goes without saying that his studies had suffered, but he always figured that completing his final year meant he'd never have to step foot in Hogwarts again.

Narcissa watched her son, lines of concern creasing her face. "Draco," she said, softly but sternly, "you must complete your schooling."

He glanced up from the letter, his expression just as hard. "I can't go back there. Not with tensions being what they are."

She sighed and rested a hand on his, her eyebrows furrowed. "Darling, the war is over. Our family… our name… we are tarnished. Blacklisted. We've got nothing to lose but your education, Draco."

He knew all too well that his parents had cared most about their pureblood status and family name over everything, and now that society rejected them, the Malfoys were skating on very thin ice. It was a miracle that his parents hadn't been arrested for their involvement with the Dark Lord, though they _were_ still regularly called to the Ministry for questioning. Lucius himself had been in a defeated state since the outcome of the battle, and spent most of his days locked in his study in silence. Draco wondered if his father still harbored some slight fear that Voldemort would creep back from the dead and rule over them once more.

"Many students have already agreed to revisit their final year," Narcissa continued, pulling Draco from his thoughts. "Your presence at Hogwarts will be a statement. The Malfoys are not hiding. We have nothing to avoid, we are serving our penitence."

* * *

And so it was that Draco found himself on the Hogwarts Express come the start of the new academic year. Blaise had achieved high scores the previous years despite the curriculum and administration being corrupted by Voldemort's influence, and had thus elected not to return to Hogwarts. Pansy Parkinson was on the train as well, though she sat as far from Draco as she could. Curious how quickly a pureblood could fall from grace among other purebloods. Crabbe and Goyle, well… he hadn't expected them to return to school at all.

He leaned against the cold glass of the window and watched the landscape jog by, his chin resting on his hand. For the first time in his life, Draco was an outcast. His family had chosen the side of the Dark Lord and lost. No amount of money, no amount of repentance could reestablish the Malfoy family name. He dreaded the dark looks he would receive from the other students. Potter was the boy who lived. Draco was the boy who didn't die.

"Curious how fast they can be," an airy voice indicated from the aisle.

Draco peered up to see a blonde-haired witch donning a particularly odd set of glasses. His first instinct was to sneer at the girl, whom he recognized as being one of Potter's lot.

"Thestrals aren't particularly active creatures, but once they do move, they're rather on the quicker end of the spectrum," she went on, gazing out the window.

"I've no clue what you're going on about," he spat, though he felt rather foolish for picking a fight with the only person who had spoken to him in the past hour.

She pointed out the window wordlessly and he followed her indication. That's when he noticed them. Gaunt, terrifying dark creatures with large black wings speckled the landscape in small groups. How had he not noticed before? Had he really been so consumed in his thoughts?

"You've seen death," she said, observing the slight gape he'd made upon seeing the creatures. "Though I suppose that's no surprise. I figure more than half the school has seen death considering the events that transcribed only a few months ago."

He stared at her, wondering how on earth someone could speak so lightly about such a dark and recent event. Regaining himself, he turned away and said shortly, "Go bother someone else with those hideous glasses."

She studied him carefully before decidedly sitting down. "You're Draco Malfoy," she said, her voice calm and happy. "I know what you've done, and who you did it for."

He tensed.

"Don't think for a second you can't be redeemed," she added cheerfully. "We've all made mistakes. Owning up to them is nothing to sneeze at. Even being on this train is a good first step." She stood then, watching him curiously through her thick lenses. "I'm Luna by the way. Harry's friend. And if you find yourself sitting alone again, please sit with us. I insist."

As the girl retreated back towards the cart she'd come, Draco became keenly aware of the snickers he was receiving from Pansy's table and others. He was sure they were having a field day, joking about his encounter with the school lunatic. Feeling foolish and rather angry, he pulled the hood of his robe tight over his head and leaned against the wall, falling asleep.

* * *

Hours later, Draco was jostled awake. Professor Flitwick had boarded to clear out the train. He bit his lip as Draco roused from sleep; the young Slytherin couldn't help but notice the slight cringe on the teacher's face. A Malfoy. Here at Hogwarts.

"Come along, Malfoy, we've already unboarded," Flitwick said lightly. He tapped his wand in the air and Draco's handbags effortlessly floated to the ground from the baggage hold. "Gather your belongings and let's get going."

Wordlessly, Draco grabbed hold of his baggage and followed the stout professor out the train. He was met by a surprised Hagrid on the platform, who held up a large lantern.

"Last one," Flitwick said to Hagrid regarding Draco. "Caught him sleeping in the final cart. The train should be all clear now."

Hagrid nodded in response. "Thanks, Filius. I'd do it m'self if only I could fit on the darn thing!" He chuckled and turned his light on Draco, who stared back almost defiantly. "Well, don't dawdle now, let's get a move on."

The two moved through a stretch of forest towards some carriages. In a moment he recognized the large, dark beasts which were harnessed to them. Walking slower in fear, he glanced at Hagrid, then back at the carriages. "Surely you don't expect me to sit there with- with _those_ beasts so near me."

"Ah, so you can see 'em!" Hagrid said cheerfully. "Don't ye worry, they're a gentle lot. And quite protective too. 'Sides, they've pulled you every year … it just so happens that _now_ ye can see 'em." At this mentioning, the half-giant's smile turned sad, though he quickly recovered. He grabbed Draco's belongings and tossed them into the carriage. "Up yer go," he said, shoving the Slytherin up and into the vehicle.

Draco winced as he was thrust into the carriage. Under normal circumstances he would've chastised the giant, but without friends to back him up, he felt rather ineffective. Instead, he settled into the carriage haughtily yet wordlessly and stared straight ahead towards the darkness.

"Wait! We're here!"

Both Hagrid and Draco turned to see three blurry figures rushing towards the carriage from the way of the train, followed shortly by an out-of-breath Flitwick. As the figures entered Hagrid's pool of lantern light, Draco felt his heart stop. Of course.

"Can't imagine how I missed them!" Flitwick exclaimed, trying to catch his breath. "I'd searched the cabins high and low."

"Ah, look what you three 'ave done to poor Filius. Red as a beet he is," Hagrid reprimanded, "You've just caught the last ride to the school grounds. Pile in, the lot o' ya." Though he was using an authoritative tone, there was an unmistakable beam in the giant's eye.

"Hagrid!" It was Potter's voice. He was enveloped in the giant's large arms, followed by the other two, whose smiles were just as broad.

The giant wiped a tear away with his heavy sleeve. "Real heroes, all three o' ya. But let's not catch up here; McGonagall will be wantin' everyone in the Great Hall soon. She'll 'ave my head if you four are late, I'll tell ya that."

"Four?" Ron piped, and before Draco knew it, they had all turned their attention to him as if they'd only just realized he was there. Sitting in the carriage alone, he felt utterly exposed, though he tried to muster his signature sneer. It fell short, though, and he was sure he looked quite pathetic.

"Last carriage," Hagrid explained almost apologetically. "Now get your heinies in and we'll 'ave you at the castle in no time."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione climbed into the carriage with obvious uncertainty. Draco kept his eyes slightly averted, his mind racing with possible insults, though he no longer had the desire to pick a fight. He felt overwhelmingly tired. Once the cart was in motion, he dared to peer up at the three of them and was unsurprised that in their silence, they'd all been staring. Ron, predictably, seemed to be fuming at the presence of the Slytherin. Hermione's expression was almost unreadable; was he imagining concern painted across her features? And Harry. He seemed to be calculating something.

"With your mouths agape like that, might as well catch a few flies," Draco said instinctively, scowling. He hated being stared at, especially by the likes of them.

"I can't imagine what will become of you at Hogwarts," Ron responded fiercely. "A fallen Death Eater. Imagine the likes of you won't make it more than a week."

"Ron," Hermione said, softly but sharply, gently laying a hand on his knee to calm him. The effect seemed to work overall, though Ron still glowered at the blonde-haired wizard.

Draco felt rather put in his place and averted his eyes, fuming. He glanced up at Harry, who was still watching him, and said in a defiant yet resigned tone, "And what about you, Potter? What have you to say about the fallen Death Eater?"

"Don't satisfy him with an answer," Hermione said hastily. She turned her gaze on Draco, who also shifted his eyes to her, and said in a calm voice just barely masking the contempt, "The war is finished, Malfoy. Either you'll come around or you won't, but we are done fighting… especially with the likes of you."

He blanched, just barely biting back the words that were almost instinctive to him now; _Don't speak to me, you filthy little Mudblood._ Instead, he fixed his gaze down the path and elected to remain quiet for the remainder of the ride. He had no friends, no resources, and now not even his pureblood status or family name could redeem him. There was no reason to be nasty anymore, and truth be told, he was feeling quite exhausted of always being on alert. The Dark Lord no longer loomed over him like a cloak, ready to strike him down if he stepped out of line. Curious how with such weight off his shoulder, Draco now felt more lost than ever.

They reached the school grounds and the thestrals slowed to a stop. Hagrid, who had been walking shortly behind, waved his pink umbrella. The bags floated out of the carriage and towards a throng of House Elves who were busy sorting and transporting suitcases. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood to deboard the carriage, followed slowly by a disenchanted Draco. As Hermione began her descent, however, she briefly lost her footing and slipped. In a flash, Draco grabbed her elbow, giving her just enough time to regain her balance and find herself standing on the ground unharmed.

She glanced up at him in surprise and he stared back in similar awe. Almost embarrassed, he helped himself out of the carriage and began walking towards the castle, past the other three dumbfounded students.


End file.
